ModWright News: New factory/facility, New Amp, RMAF 2008 and not much sleep....

modwright · « **on:** 18 Sep 2008, 05:35 pm »

Hi guys, I have been a bit silent since HK, mostly because I have simply been jet-lagged initially and then buried. I did a brief demonstration at the LA&OC Audio Society the week after returning from HK, thanks to the gracious invite of Mr. Bob Levi. Since then, my employees, contractors and friends have been very busy making our new production facility move-in ready. This has been a project that has taken longer than expected, but represents a SIGNIFICANT increase in overall space and the addition of a beautiful music room, a large enough office/workshop for me to work more efficiently and a greatly improved and more efficient factory space also.

The amplifier has taken longer than expected to complete, but WILL be used at RMAF. It has evolved in good and meaningful ways. I brought a static version of the very first prototype to HK with me and received input about aesthetic, specific operation requests, etc., that were all taken into consideration and many incorporated in the final design. The overall dim's of the unit are: 8"Hx18"Wx17"D. Packed weight ~ 75lb. It bears strong family resemblance to the LS 36.5 and PS 36.5 in terms of overall build quality, with some slight aesthetic differences that I believe will be welcome by all.

Inside, the unit is all dual-mono and fully differential, with RCA and XLR inputs. Both RCA and XLR inputs operate fully balanced within the unit. The design is transformer coupled at the input and fully differential and direct-coupled past that point. There are NO capacitors in the signal path. Of course MWI caps are used for PS decoupling however. Aside from a single power cord and power on/off button, the internal design is completely dual-mono. We utilize two power transformers, installed in a specific and unique noise-cancelling geometry, with discrete input and output circuits, discrete capacitor power reserve banks = 80,000uf per channel. Each channel features towering blue-anodized custom heat sinks, sized to handle the heavily Class A biased output of state of the art Thermal-Track output devices. The proprietary input stage uses all discrete devices and is dubbed the 'Solid State Music Stage' by designer Alan Kimmel.

The unit is bridgeable into mono, hence the third set of binding posts.

Tonally, the unit is voiced to give the beauty of tubes with the power, control and low maintenance of SS. The output devices feature a unique auto-thermal bias circuit and have incredible bandwidth. As MWI customers would expect, it uses top quality components throughout and is designed with 'Elegance.Simplicity.Truth' in mind.

Thanks to Alan Kimmel for his exceptional design brilliance with this product, without which the KWA 150 (Kimmel-Wright-Amp 150) would not have been a possibility.

Intro price for the KWA 150 = $5295 (MSRP = $5995).

Beyond travel, the new shop, amp design, continued production work on our 9.0SE, 36.5 series products and of course the Digital Star product of '08 - The Transporter - we are moving forward with yet more new ideas and innovations for both the immediate and not-so-distant future.

Thank you ALL again for your continued patronage and support.

Take care and be well!

Dan W.

meby · « **Reply #1 on:** 18 Sep 2008, 06:01 pm »

Congratulations on the new amp and look forward to hearing the finalized product. If it is anything like your pre-amps I am sure it will sound great.

rydenfan · « **Reply #2 on:** 18 Sep 2008, 07:04 pm »

Dan best wishes on the new facility and new amp. Sounds like things are really blossoming for you; you deserve it. I look forward to seeing and hopefully hearing the new amp soon. I have to own it since my last name is on it, right? Even though Alan and I spell it differently...

Philistine · « **Reply #3 on:** 18 Sep 2008, 07:29 pm »

Great news Dan, now we have the option to have a complete Modwright electronics chain all the way through from the source to a power amp. It's important to me that equipment should be stylish as well as having a great sound, I'm sure the new KWA150 will look great and look forward to seeing the pictures when you have them ready. Maybe we can see the new facilities also?

bummrush · « **Reply #4 on:** 18 Sep 2008, 07:34 pm »

Never heard any Modwright equip.But beautiful product design,simple sweet clean lines.

ted_b · « **Reply #5 on:** 18 Sep 2008, 07:48 pm »

I'm looking forward to seeing you at RMAF and hearing about the trials and tribulations that the Big Move went through. Congrats. Can't wait to hear the amp!!!

The year is 2011: the all-Modwright signal path:
Dan introduces Modwright speakers, the only speakers with TUBES in 'em!!!
Dan follows up with Modwright cabling...ic's, sc's and power cables for the discerning audiophile.....and finally....
Dan Wright's Great Northwest Records first release: Dan Sings Kurt Kobain Klassics, recorded in all analog tube rectified glory.

kmmd · « **Reply #6 on:** 18 Sep 2008, 08:54 pm »

Congratulations Dan! I'm sure your amp will be a huge success. May I ask what the measurements are into a 4 ohm load...Magnepan's you know. Maybe, I'll think about triamping my 3.6R's.

Ted, I was thinking the same regarding the speakers but sooner.

rpf · « **Reply #7 on:** 18 Sep 2008, 09:11 pm »

Quote from: ted_b on 18 Sep 2008, 07:48 pm

I'm looking forward to seeing you at RMAF and hearing about the trials and tribulations that the Big Move went through. Congrats. Can't wait to hear the amp!!!

The year is 2011: the all-Modwright signal path:
Dan introduces Modwright speakers, the only speakers with TUBES in 'em!!!
Dan follows up with Modwright cabling...ic's, sc's and power cables for the discerning audiophile.....and finally....
Dan Wright's Great Northwest Records first release: Dan Sings Kurt Kobain Klassics, recorded in all analog tube rectified glory.

Congrats, yet again, Dan. Should sound amazing!

funkmonkey · « **Reply #8 on:** 19 Sep 2008, 02:43 am »

Congratulations on the move Dan. I am sure it will take a while for it to "break-in," but be patient it will be worth it!

WG · « **Reply #9 on:** 19 Sep 2008, 03:33 am »

Dan,

Will the amp be directly ordered through you like the Modwright Transporter or will it be a dealer order?

What will amp gain be on RCA and XLR?

What will be period of warranty and is warranty transferable?

Regards,
Will

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #10 on:** 19 Sep 2008, 01:14 pm »

Dan....

Congrats on the new amp....and the continued success of your products !

Quote

The amplifier has taken longer than expected to complete, but WILL be used at RMAF.

Which room will the amp be in at RMAF ? Thanks....see you in Denver !

Chris

ted_b · « **Reply #11 on:** 19 Sep 2008, 02:07 pm »

He mentioned in another thread that he'd be in Rm 1010. Not sure if he has more than one room, though.

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #12 on:** 19 Sep 2008, 02:18 pm »

Quote from: ted_b on 19 Sep 2008, 02:07 pm

He mentioned in another thread that he'd be in Rm 1010. Not sure if he has more than one room, though.

There are two rooms listed on the RMAF site Ted.....

http://audiofest.net/2008/exhibitors_profile.php?gbID=510&Sid=7373726fad07a31c3b0233a256866bcf

I'll go to both....

modwright · « **Reply #13 on:** 20 Sep 2008, 12:49 pm »

Hi guys, we will be in Rm. 1010 at RMAF. We also will have our gear in a number of other rooms, but 1010 is the ModWright Room.

The amp will produce at least 250W into 4ohm load.

The design is fully balanced and bridgeable in mono. RCA, XLR inputs, all operate via balanced design internally.

Design is also heavily biased into Class A, is all dual-mono inside and I think is very stylish too, with our '36.5' level of fit and finish.

The Amp will be sold exclusively through dealers. Release date is still to be set, but it will be in use and on display at RMAF!

Thanks guys for all of your support! It really does mean a lot as those of you who know me, know that I am very passionate about MWI and take great pride in our products and our customers' satisfaction.

Take care,

Dan W.

madders · « **Reply #14 on:** 22 Sep 2008, 06:03 pm »

This is great news Dan. I've been on the lookout for an amp to match with my SWLP9.0SE

Will a 230V variation be available at launch? Also will the release in UK have the same intro price?

modwright · « **Reply #15 on:** 24 Sep 2008, 01:58 pm »

It will be available in 230V/50Hz, yes. I can't say what the price in the UK or other countries will be, because of the import duties, freight, etc. It is typically higher-priced outside of the U.S. for these reasons.

Thanks,

Dan

IronLion · « **Reply #16 on:** 24 Sep 2008, 02:12 pm »

Looking forward to hearing more about the amp Dan, and especially seeing it. I imagine it will be in a brushed aluminum finish, but am wondering if you will also have a black version available?

rydenfan · « **Reply #17 on:** 27 Sep 2008, 01:55 pm »

Guys, here is the first pic of the amp!!! It looks beautiful

Bigfish · « **Reply #18 on:** 27 Sep 2008, 03:43 pm »

Congratulations Dan on the new amp and thanks David for posting the picture.

I am sitting here just drooling!

Ken

modwright · « **Reply #19 on:** 28 Sep 2008, 10:37 pm »

Thanks guys. First of all, I want to give credit to my photographer - Marco Prozzo - www.marcoprozzo.com for his beautiful work. I will send a better looking photo for David to update his post with and also ask that the photographers credits be listed here. It takes a team to make everything work and Marco's photography is brilliant and a welcome contribution to MW.

Sincerely,

Dan W.